New Sixth-Generation iPad vs. 10.5-Inch iPad Pro

[cambookpro]

Probably the two big pro features now are the 120hz display and the massive gulf in graphics performance - you are talking like 2.5x faster there. But then if you aren’t doing graphics intensive work like 3d modelling it won’t make a difference to you. The pencil was always going to trickle down to the rest of the line as it’s all more profit for Apple and will become increasingly part of the iPad paradigm... I don’t know if the pro models will be merged into the single bezel-less 11” but it seems like this could be repositioning to a much simpler lineup where the pros are simply more powerful, bigger storage tiers, and have the smart connector?

Yeah the graphics performance is great, but are there any apps written which really take advantage of it? I suppose we're talking about a lot of counterfactuals at the moment until the 6th gen is in wider use. I use Affinity Photo a lot on my 10.5" Pro as a fantastic, more portable alternative to Photoshop on my Mac. I do wonder if I'm taking a lot of the power of the A10X for granted, or whether it would run just as smoothly on a non-Pro iPad.

The Smart Connector is something which in theory should be fantastic, but in reality hasn't caught on. Think there was an article last year about the cost of components for accessory makers, and the large lead times and relatively small user base which means most just favour Bluetooth. It's a real shame, as not having to faff around pairing devices and charging them up individually is a great win for the user.

 

[marty1980]

This new $329 iPad is definitely something I am considering sometime this year. Apple is refusing to bring new iPad mini's and this seems to be the replacement. I'm okay with that.

The biggest hesitation for me is the 2GB RAM. That's going to make a difference on an iPad especially when new iPhones are using 3GB and iPads are using 4GB. 2GB might be enough, but I think a boost in RAM would make a huge difference on how long this will be useful for the types of activities my family uses iPads for and would use a new iPad for if we had one (apple pencil).

 

[Dorv]

As a replacement for an older iPad for someone who isn't tech driven or a commuter device, new iPad would be fine for consumption and light content creation.

Will never buy another iPad Pro at full price; I'll wait on sales if and when it comes time to replace my 2017.

Bought the 10.5 iPad Pro today off of Apple's Refurb site. Gets the delta down to about 200, and for that, I was comfortable with the value in the extra screen, especially considering how long the iPad will last for me in limited use.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

True tone doesn't change brightness just annoying yellow tint colour temp and even the 10.5 is just a big iphone nothing special about ipads

C’mon. If iPads aren’t your bag fair enough but this meme iPads are just big iPhone is really tired and worn. Anyone who says that is either trolling or talking out of their arse & never really attempted to use them as tools. But even if is similar in functionality to the iPhone so is a drill to a driver.

 

[dfstock]

I hope students/schools by the iPads with Applecare. What is a student supposed to do if he breaks the Ipad and can't finish his homework or follow along in class.

 

[Dorv]

Apple have backed themselves into a corner a bit, the Pros either need to come down in price by $100-$150 or they need to be dramatically differentiated from the standard model (maybe an iPhone X-esque redesign could contribute towards this, as long as they didn't increase the price at the same time).

Getting it refurbished from Apple puts it in that cheaper range.

 

[44267547]

This new $329 iPad is definitely something I am considering sometime this year. Apple is refusing to bring new iPad mini's and this seems to be the replacement. I'm okay with that.

The biggest hesitation for me is the 2GB RAM. That's going to make a difference on an iPad especially when new iPhones are using 3GB and iPads are using 4GB. 2GB might be enough, but I think a boost in RAM would make a huge difference on how long this will be useful for the types of activities my family uses iPads for and would use a new iPad for if we had one (apple pencil).

I think it depends on what you’re using the iPad for for the additional RAM. If it’s more intensive applications, then the additional ram of the iPad Pro would likely be more suited. But if you’re using the iPad for more basic media, movies and simpler tasks, two GB is still adequate. I think adding the A10 fusion with Apple Pencil support are both nice add-ons.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

For people who are tied to a budget, the New iPad is a great choice.

Most people can live without the iPad Pro extra features (not me).

 

[Mizouse]

I just got a refurbished 10.5" 64GB iPad Pro earlier this month.

If it wasn't for that $100 off eBay coupon I'd probably have gone with the 5th Gen iPad 128GB.

I'd have instantly regretted it too since that would've been before the announcement of the 6th Gen.

Anyways, for my needs the 5th or 6th gen would've been enough but the price difference after the coupon made me go with the pro for the extra goodies.

 

[Michael Goff]

But I gave you the only logical combat to your intended purpose of your statements even if its using the "No True Scotsman" fallacy to address your statements. But on this forum, I have always respected your assertions.

Thank you, but I do feel the idea of “true professionals need a mouse” is incredibly limiting as to who is a true professional and what they do. There are plenty of people out there that don’t need a mouse.

 

[harriska2]

I started to feel weird about my purchase of a 2017 iPad Pro 12.9 with this weeks new iPad, but the more I look into it, its still a great buy. Besides, I will be using it for a long time before I ever think about upgrading again.

Same here. I have the 2015 IPP 12.9 and see no reason to upgrade. Smooth as butta since the last 2 upgrades. Before that, not so much (11.0 to 11.2 or so).

 

[The Cappy]

I'm hoping for June. iPads don't do well when they're released too close to new iPhones, and that'll be true so long as the 4G iPads don't have Phone.app. (So in other words, forever, sadly)

 

[scottcampbell]

You forgot about the Smart Connector on iPad Pro which is not present on the 9.7" iPad...

1:34

 

[coolfactor]

Definitely a mid-cycle bump instead of a significant upgrade. I believe they configured it in such a way to keep the price lower and to not compete against the iPad Pro. Timing was just backwards for these two device releases. Otherwise the "new" iPad would have come with the A11 processor that the iPhone 8 has, instead of the A10 that the older-gneration iPhone 7 has.

I'm sure it's a more than decent iPad, but Apple is definitely not pushing the specs envelope as much as they could be.
[doublepost=1522277411][/doublepost]

I'm hoping for June. iPads don't do well when they're released too close to new iPhones, and that'll be true so long as the 4G iPads don't have Phone.app. (So in other words, forever, sadly)

An iPad with the Phone app would be PERFECT for my elderly mother. One device that does everything she needs on a larger easy-to-read screen instead of being responsible for managing two separate devices.

 

[farewelwilliams]

Only 2GB DRAM with no future proofing and that has to be upgraded in a year? 2GB is what's standard on $40 Android devices.

The 4GB Acer ChromeOS pen tablet is making much more sense since it can be used in tablet mode for preschool and early elementary then with keyboard/mouse for higher elementary up to high school. No need to disrupt kids' education by switching ecosystem in the process.

here we go again comparing ram in android devices vs ram in ios.

 

[cambookpro]

Getting it refurbished from Apple puts it in that cheaper range.

True, but refurbished stock varies wildly (no 10.5"s available in the UK at the moment, for example), and the cheaper non-Pros can also be bought refurbished, further decreasing their price. I think a reduction in RRP wouldn't be unreasonable to ask for.

 

[dannyyankou]

10.5 is the perfect size, especially for the keyboard.

 

[ColdShadow]

the difference between display quality of the two is vast.
and instantly noticeable.
the iPad Pro not just have better resolution and better color,but the fact that it's display is laminated and there is no visible gap between display and the glass is a big difference.

it's sad to see Apple once again decided to deliberately compromise some aspect of a product just so that it can still maintain the older product (iPad Pro).
instead of improving the Pro,and using the nice laminated display in new iPad,they intentionally put weak display in the new iPad so Pro remains superior.

don't forget the old iPad Air 2 has superior display to the 2018 new iPad..

 

[Rogifan]

the difference between display quality of the two is vast.
and instantly noticeable.
the iPad Pro not just have better resolution and better color,but the fact that it's display is laminated and there is no visible gap between display and the glass is a big difference.

it's sad to see Apple once again decided to deliberately compromise some aspect of a product just so that it can still maintain the older product (iPad Pro).
instead of improving the Pro,and using the nice laminated display in new iPad,they intentionally put weak display in the new iPad so Pro remains superior.

don't forget the old iPad Air 2 has superior display to the 2018 new iPad..

Because this product isn’t called iPad Pro and costs $329. Basically you just want an iPad Pro that’s cheaper.

 

[2013.1]

wide color makes a difference

 

[QCassidy352]

For people who are tied to a budget, the New iPad is a great choice.

Most people can live without the iPad Pro extra features (not me).

It’s not just people on a budget, it’s also people who view the iPad more as a secondary or consumption device (which includes me). Even if you can afford the pro, it’s hard to swallow twice the price for features that matter little to content consumption.

 

[Glideslope]

Can someone tell me what any of these “new iPads” offer over the iPad Air 2?

No laminated screen. Should be a blast with the pencil. Strictly Pre-School Doodling.

 

[jeremiah256]

Only 2GB DRAM with no future proofing and that has to be upgraded in a year? 2GB is what's standard on $40 Android devices.

The 4GB Acer ChromeOS pen tablet is making much more sense since it can be used in tablet mode for preschool and early elementary then with keyboard/mouse for higher elementary up to high school. No need to disrupt kids' education by switching ecosystem in the process.

I partially agree. As someone who moved early from the 6 Plus to the 6S Plus due to lag, yes, RAM does matter, even on iOS devices. There are several reasons the iPad Air 2 is still a fantastic device, and more RAM than the original Air is one of them.

But, these are educational devices. The apps will be limited to Apple and school apps, so I'm not sure they will be stressed like even a family iPad would, despite the great commercials Apple produces where school kids are trusted to take their school bought iPads into the wild and perform amazing experiments. I can see these having a 3-5 year life cycle in this limited environment and that seems about right.

Whether that makes the new iPad a good decision vs the new Chromebook Tab for most schools is a totally different question.

 

[Loge]

The 10.5 has one significant advantage not yet mentioned - you can get it in Rose Gold.

 

[m4mario]

A laptop replacement should still be able to do everything a laptop does......especially the main things like mouse support. Dex on the Note 8 is a desktop replacement because it does that at least on a far basic level. iOS on the Pro version should at least do it on a basic level. No one is asking it to run PhotoShop, but the heavy hitters would love it to do so although just giving us Full Excel with mouse support will make a world of a difference.

What matters is the output and the ease of achieving the same output.
You are still caught in comparing the interaction mode. If you want to do the same old thing on an iPad that you did on a laptop, then no it can't do.
But if you want to do a job, can an iPad better serve you in doing that? For many it can. For example teachers, sales men, students, doctors, sports coaches, etc have specific apps that help them do their job better, in a more mobile way. Doing spreadsheet on a laptop is more of a chore that these people want to avoid, than a requirement they love doing. If they used a laptop, they will be using a spreadsheet. On an iPad they have better apps to do that. What you are asking is, can they do spreadsheets on an iPad? First of all, if they must, they can. But the entire point is to find better ways to work.